This is Your Life
by Vampire Snow White
Summary: High school is about learning new things, dating, making friends and forming the path to your future. Some of the seniors at Montressor High School are charging full-force towards their future while others are afraid of what's in store for them. Story includes Disney and non-Disney characters as well as cannon and crossover couples.
1. Chapter 1

**I've been throwing ideas around for a story like this for a while, but I have been hesitant about actually posting it since there are so many Disney high school stories on here already. But, I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. Please review and let me know what you think.**

"No, no, no!" Kayley muttered as she ran towards the bus stop. She could see the bus pulling away and she was hoping to get to the corner in time, but the bus was already a block away by the time she reached the stop. "Damn. I guess I'm walking."

Kayley slung her backpack over her shoulder and started walking down the street. It was the first day of senior year and it was already off to a bad start. Not that she expected otherwise. Ever since she was in Junior High, Kayley has been outcasted by her other classmates and was for all intents and purpose branded a loser. She didn't know why exactly, but she assumed it was because she wasn't wealthy, athletic or pretty enough to be popular. Though she didn't have the desire to be popular, she _did _wish she didn't have to deal with bullying that came her way quite often.

A short honk caught Kayley's attention and she looked up to see a car slowing down next to her. The driver side window rolled down and a girl with short, wavy blonde hair stuck her head out.

"Hey!" she greeted. "Can you tell me how to get to..." she glanced down and then looked back up at Kayley "...Montressor High School?"

"You're going to Montressor High?"

The girl nodded. "Today's my first day and I can't remember how to get there."

Kayley glanced up a head of her, in the direction her bus had gone, and then looked back at the blonde. "I go to Montressor; it's not far."

The girl's eyes lit up. "You do? Would you like a ride? It seems we can help each other out."

"Sure." Kayley walked around the front of the car and got into the passenger seat.

The girl waited until Kayley had her seat belt on before pulling away. "My name is Madellaine."

"Kayley."

Madellaine smiled at Kayley. "My first day of school and I've already made a new friend; looks like this is gonna be a good year, after all."

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Anastasia was just finishing getting ready when she heard her best friend, Thomas, pull into her driveway. She stuck her head out of her bedroom window and waved to him to let him know that she'd be right down. She grabbed a hair tie off her doorknob and pulled her hair into a ponytail as she rushed downstairs. She hurried outside and slid in beside Thomas.

"Breakfast," Thomas said handing Anastasia a bagel wrapped in a paper towel.

"Did your mom make this for me?" Anastasia asked.

"Of course."

Anastasia and Thomas had been best friends all of their lives. Thomas' parents had become like second parents to Anastasia and it was the same with her parents and Thomas.

"I also got you a caramel iced coffee," Thomas said as he backed out of the driveway.

"You really are the best friend anyone could ever have," Anastasia said, reaching for the drink in her cup holder.

"Thanks. So... This is it; our last year of high school."

Anastasia slumped down in her seat and put her feet up on the dashboard. "I can't believe we're already seniors. It seems like just last week we were starting kindergarten together."

"I know and now we're only nine months away from graduating high school and starting the rest of our lives."

Anastasia bit her lip. "Are you ready?"

"Not really."

"Me either."

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Belle sat on her front porch swing, waiting for her best friend, Tiana. Tiana lived a couple houses down from Belle and they always walked to school together. Belle had already been waiting on Tiana for almost ten minutes by the time Tiana arrived.

"I thought we agreed you were gonna be here at seven o'clock," Belle said as she stood and picked her backpack up off the porch.

Tiana held up her wrist to display her watch that read seven o'clock on the dot. Belle was always ten minutes early, while Tiana was always prompt. If Belle had told her to be there at 6:57, she would have shown up right at 6:57. It didn't matter what time Tiana had to be somewhere, she would be there at that exact time. Belle didn't know how Tiana managed to always time things out perfectly, but nonetheless it was impressive.

"All right, fair enough; let's go," Belle said, giggling.

"Just think; this time next year we'll both be in New York getting ready for our first day at Columbia." Tiana sighed.

"I can't wait to get out of this town," Belle said. "All we have to do is get through this last year of high school and everything we've worked so hard for will finally be within reach."

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Meg slowly ate her cereal while she watched her mom frantically move around the house, searching for something she needed for work. As usual, the Bluetooth for her work phone was glued to her ear and she was insisting to whoever was on the other end that she would be on time for the meeting.

About two years ago Meg's dad had been arrested for killing a little girl while driving drunk. Her mom couldn't cope with this, so she threw herself into her work and became a workaholic. Meg had only been fifteen at the time and didn't know how to handle the situation. All of a sudden both of her parents weren't around and Meg didn't know what to do.

That's when she became friends with bad boy, Jim Hawkins. Jim's father had left him and his mom when he was younger and his mom had to work all the time to support them. Jim was the only person who really understood what Meg was going through. Since then she always hung out with what would be considered the "wrong" group of people. But, they were the only ones who didn't outcast her because of what her dad did.

"Mom, I need lunch money for school," Meg said when there was a pause in her mom's conversation.

Her mom turned sharply towards her. "I'm on the phone!" she hissed before walking out of the kitchen.

Meg rolled her eyes in frustration. She dropped her bowl into the sink and made her way towards the front door. She was just about to go outside when she noticed her mom's purse sitting on the small table next to the door. Meg looked back to make sure her mom wasn't around, then reached into her purse and took a couple dollars. She quickly shoved the money into her pocket, then hurried outside.

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"This is our year, girls!" Jasmine exclaimed excitedly as she got into the back of Katrina Van Tassel's convertible. "We're finally seniors and we're gonna rule the school!"

"This is going to be the best year ever!" Katrina agreed as she sped off.

Jessica Rabbit was sitting in the passenger seat applying some red lipstick and now glanced at Jasmine through the mirror on her sun visor. "Try to act cool, girls."

Jasmine leaned forward and hugged her friend. As usual, Jessica smelled of floral perfume and strawberries. "Oh, come on, Jessica. You can't say you're not excited."

Jessica flipped her visor back up. "Of course I am. But, let's not get all giddy."

Jasmine and Katrina exchanged glances and then Jasmine leaned back in her seat. Jessica was easily the hottest girl in school and always acted mature for her age. Sometimes Jasmine thought she needed to just relax and enjoy being a teenager while she still could. That's what high school was all about after all, wasn't it; having as much fun as you could before graduating?

When the girls got to school, Katrina immediately hurried off to find her boyfriend, Brom, and Jessica headed to the courtyard where the rest of their friends were gathered. Jasmine decided she would use this opportunity to find her locker and she made her way inside. Even though the school still looked the same as it did on her first day of freshman year, it now seemed different to Jasmine. She was a senior now and this whole year would be different for her.

Jasmine was so lost in her own thoughts as she walked down the hallway that she ran right into somebody.

"Hey!" Jasmine cried out.

She stepped back and got a look at the person she had run into. He was older than Jasmine, but definitely not old. He was actually really good-looking and she was sure she had never seen him before. He had short brown hair, dark eyes, a little facial hair and was wearing a tight dress shirt that showed off his muscular body.

"I-I'm sorry," Jasmine finally said.

He smiled at her. "It's okay."

"I don't think I've seen you before," Jasmine said, using her best flirtatious voice.

"I'm the new history teacher, Mr. Korso," he said. "I hope I'll see you in one of my classes."

Jasmine smiled at him. "I hope so, too."

**I'm sorry if this chapter was boring. I just wanted to introduce the characters whose POV this will be told from.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I want to thank Roninarnia for being my first reviewer. It means a lot to me.**

Anastasia and Thomas walked over to their usual table in the cafeteria and set their trays down across from each other. As Anastasia sat down, she noticed a neon green sheet of paper lying on the table. She reached over, picked it up and read it to herself.

"What's it say?" Thomas asked, before taking a bite of his pizza.

"Gaston's having a party this weekend for all the seniors."

Thomas shrugged this off and focused on eating. Gaston was always throwing parties and afterwards everyone who went would talk about how awesome it was. As far as Anastasia had heard, Gaston always threw the best parties; but she had never been to any of them. Anastasia was one of those girls who just blended in and got through high school unnoticed. She was never invited to parties and most of the popular kids didn't even know who she was.

Anastasia glanced over at the table where all the popular seniors were sitting and she couldn't help envying them. She wondered what it would be like to have a lot of friends and have plans every weekend. But, the main reason Anastasia wished she was popular was Dimitri. Dimitri was, in Anastasia's opinion, the best looking boy in school. She had been crushing on him since freshman year, but never talked to him. He's always been popular, while Anastasia never was; he was completely out of her league.

Anastasia looked down at the flyer. No doubt Dimitri would be at Gaston's party. A voice in the back of her mind told her she should go, too, and talk to him. _I can't do that,_ she thought. _Girls like me can't just walk up to boys like Dimitri and talk to him. _Anastasia sighed and set the flyer back on the table.

"What is it?" Thomas asked.

"I don't know. I guess I was just thinking about going to that party this weekend."

"Why?"

"Well, we're seniors now and we haven't gone to any of the parties or done anything normal high school students do."

"So?"

"This is our last chance to do everything we've wanted to do and say things to people that we've been meaning to say," Anastasia explained. "Gaston's party could be a good place to start."

Thomas didn't look convinced, but he agreed to go with her anyway. Anastasia stole a sideways glance at Dimitri who was now talking to his best friend, John Smith. She decided at that moment that this year would be different for her; she was going to do whatever she had to to become popular and be Dimitri's girlfriend.

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Meg and her friends, Jim, Sinbad, Flynn and Cale plopped down at an empty table. Meg immediately spotted the flyer for Gaston's party and crumpled it up.

"_Another _party? Didn't he just have an end of summer party two weeks ago?"

"I'm going," Flynn said.

Meg rolled her eyes at him. "Of course you're going; your girlfriend is friends with Gaston."

Flynn reached across the table and stole a handful of Meg's fries. "You're just jealous 'cause I'm popular."

"If you're so popular-" Meg reached over and took her fries back- "why are you eating lunch with us instead of sitting with your girlfriend?"

"Face it, Flynn; you're not popular, _Eris _is popular," Jim said. "And you're just her 'bad boy fling'."

"Whatever," Flynn said, his mouth now full of food. "At least _I'm _dating someone; which is more than the four of you can say."

"So, hook us up," Sinbad told him. "Eris is hot and easy; she's gotta have some friends like her."

"Oh honestly, Sinbad!" Meg demanded. "Is that _all _you think about?"

Sinbad shrugged. He wasn't the type of guy who wanted to be in a relationship; he always said high school was too short to only be with one girl. He had asked Eris to their junior prom, hoping to hook up with her, but she turned him down and asked Flynn instead; who, of course accepted the invitation. Since Flynn and Sinbad are best friends, this caused a huge fight at prom- which can be seen on youtube. All was forgiven, though, over the summer when Sinbad started dating known virgin and most sought after girl in the school, Ariel. Sinbad ended their relationship, though, just before school started again, so he could keep his options open.

Meg would never admit it, but she did secretly wish she had a boyfriend. Embarrassed by the fact that even though she was known as the "sexy bad girl" she still couldn't get a boyfriend, Meg put on an act of not wanting to date. She insisted that all men were jerks and not worth the wasted time. For the most part, Meg actually believed that. However, there was one boy she was very much into. But she'd never admit to anyone; especially him.

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Jasmine skipped out of lunch early. She had history with Mr. Korso right after lunch and she wanted to get to his class before anyone else did. After stopping at her locker, she ducked into the nearby bathroom to do some touch-ups. Since it was coming to the end of summer and the nice weather, she had decided to wear a denim mini skirt and a white halter top that showed off her perfectly tanned skin. She ran a brush through her thick black hair, reapplied her makeup then added a couple sprits of her favorite perfume. Once she was satisfied, she walked confidently out into the hallway and right into Mr. Korso's classroom. No one was in there yet; not even him. She sat down in the front row, right in front of his desk. Jasmine had only been in the classroom a couple minutes when Mr. Korso came in.

"Hello," Mr. Korso greeted.

Jasmine smiled at him. "Hi."

"It looks like you're in my class after all."

Jasmine pulled her hair over her shoulder and started playing with it. "I didn't think you'd remember me."

Mr. Korso raised an eyebrow. "Since this morning?"

"I just meant; I didn't think I stood out from everyone else you've seen today."

Mr. Korso gave her a knowing smile. "Right."

Jasmine let out a small laugh. "You saw through that, huh?"

Mr. Korso sat down on his desk in front of Jasmine. "What's your name?"

"Jasmine."

"Jasmine, I'm thirty years old; I recognize flirting when I see it."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Korso."

"Call me Korso," he told her. "And you have nothing to be sorry for. You're young, innocent and curious. But, you're also a minor and if anything happened between us it would be inappropriate. Do you understand?"

"Of course."

As the other students filed into the classroom, Jasmine took her small daily planner out of her backpack and flipped it open. Today was September 5th and her eighteenth birthday was November 25th; which meant she only had a little over two and a half months until she was legally old enough to date Korso. She smiled to herself and started wondering why she had ever wasted her time on boys her own age.


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you ever feel like we're missing out by not partaking in high school normalcy?" Tiana asked as she and Belle sat in the parking lot of the grocery store eating the raw chocolate chip cookie dough they just bought.

"You mean like going to Gaston's party tonight?"

"Yeah."

"No I don't."

"Me either. I just don't see the point."

Belle shook her head, but didn't say anything. She had been careful not to make too many friends during high school since she knew she'd be leaving for New York and would most likely lose contact with all of them; although, part of her was starting to regret that. She had grown up in this town and lived here all her life, but she was starting to feel like an outsider. She'd be leaving here in less than a year and the only tie she had to the town was her father. This kind of made her feel lonely, though she knew in the end it wouldn't really matter.

"Hey girls!"

Belle and Tiana looked up to see Jane Porter and her best friend, Aladdin. It was always interesting to Belle to see Jane and Aladdin hanging out. They became best friends in first grade and were inseparable as kids, but now they had grown into very different people. Belle couldn't help wondering if they met each other for the first time right now if they'd still end up being best friends.

Jane had always been social and loved going to parties and games. She was one of those girls that was pretty much friends with everyone. Aladdin was more anti-social, but he was also carefree and lived in the moment, so he was always up for whatever Jane wanted to do.

"What are you guys up to tonight?" Tiana asked them.

"We're heading to Gaston's party," Aladdin replied.

Gaston's subdivision was located back behind the grocery store and they had actually seen several people from their school cutting across the parking lot and using it as a shortcut.

"Are you going, too?" Jane asked.

"That's not really our scene," Tiana replied.

Aladdin shrugged. "I guess we'll see you around, then."

"Have fun," Belle called out to them as they walked away.

"Well, I'm gonna head over to the restaurant and see if my mom needs any help," Tiana said, standing up.

"All right. I'll see you later."

Belle waited until Tiana was out of sight before finally standing up. As she threw away the cookie dough wrapper, she noticed a couple other people crossing through parking lot and heading to Gaston's house. For a minute Belle contemplated going as well, but eventually decided against it and just went home.

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Kayley felt really self conscious as she and Madellaine walked up to Gaston's front door. She had never been to any party during high school and had no intention of going to this one, either, but Madellaine wanted to go and begged Kayley to go with her. On top of that, Madellaine had also insisted Kayley wear something more attractive than her usual jeans and t-shirt. She was currently wearing a pair of Madellaine's skinny jeans, knee-high high heeled boots and a crop top with nothing underneath but her bra. She felt ridiculous and kept trying to wrap her arms around her bare stomach.

Madellaine, however, was completely at ease. She was wearing a short pleated skirt, a midriff tank top and high heels. She was making a point of saying hi to everyone she saw. Though most of the people didn't say anything back and just gave her a weird look, she didn't seem to care. Kayley on the other hand, quickly dropped her eyes whenever she saw someone looking at her.

Part of Kayley was excited to be there, while the other part of her felt like an imposer. The only interaction she ever had with Gaston was when he would tell her to get out of his way in the hallway and now here she was- in his house. Kayley suddenly lost all of her nerve and wanted to turn and run. She was seriously considering doing this when Madellaine gripped her arm and pulled her closer.

"Who is _that_?" Madellaine asked.

Kayley looked where Madellaine had pointed. "That's Proteus."

Madellaine's eyes lit up. "He's gorgeous."

"He's also completely out of our league," Kayley pointed out.

"There are no 'leagues' in dating. If you like someone, you just talk to them. It's as simple as that, Kayley. If it works out, great; if not, then at least you can say you tried and you don't have to wonder 'what if'." With that Madellaine, walked right over to Proteus and introduced herself.

Feeling even more uncomfortable now that she was alone, Kayley turned to go back outside. Her path was blocked, however, by a group of people. Her only options now were to stay in the same spot or venture further into the house. Her decision was made for her as more people joined the group of people next to her, forcing her away from them. She wandered through the house and noticed there weren't as many people in the backyard. When she stepped through the sliding glass doors, she spotted a bench next to the garden on the far side of the yard. She made her way to the bench and sat down. She was completely out of her element here and couldn't believe she let Madellaine talk her into going. Especially now that Madellaine had ditched her.

Kayley had no sooner finished that thought when she saw Madellaine hurrying across the yard towards her.

"What are you doing way over here?" Madellaine asked, plopping down next to Kayley.

"I'm not really friends with anyone here."

"So, make new friends. Come on!" Madellaine grabbed Kayley's hand and dragged her back towards the house.

They went back to the living room where Proteus was hanging out with his best friend, John Rolfe, John's girlfriend, Odette, and Odette's best friend, Aurora. Each of them looked at Kayley as if they had never seen her before.

"Proteus, this is my best friend, Kayley," Madellaine said.

"Are you new, too?" Aurora asked.

Kayley shook her head. "We've been going to school together since fifth grade."

Aurora nodded, but she was now looking around and seemed distracted. She then spotted whoever she was looking for and walked away. Being left with Madellaine, Proteus, Rolfe and Odette, Kayley felt like the fifth wheel.

"I think I'm gonna go," Kayley told Madellaine.

"All right. I'll see you Monday morning," Madellaine said, not looking away from Proteus.

Kayley quickly walked out of the house, regretting not only going to the party but also becoming friends with Madellaine in the first place.

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"Oh my God, Ariel, I can't believe you came!" Ariel's best friend, Thumbelina, greeted her as soon as Ariel arrived at the party.

"Why wouldn't I come?" Ariel asked.

"Because Sinbad just broke up with you and he's here."

Ariel felt her heart skip beat and she resisted the urge to look around for him. "I don't care about Sinbad," she lied. "It was just a summer romance; it didn't mean anything."

"Oh good, 'cause I saw him hitting on some junior a couple days ago."

_Jerk! _

The truth was: Ariel was the furthest from being over Sinbad. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about him since he first asked her out at the beginning of the summer. When he broke up with her she spent the whole night crying and listening to their song on repeat. But, she would never admit that to anyone. She knew she had to keep her cool about the whole thing and act like it didn't matter; especially since it obviously didn't matter to Sinbad.

"Come on, Ariel," Thumbelina linked her arm with Ariel's and started walking towards the backyard. "Charlotte and Rapunzel are in the pool; let's join them."

Once outside, Ariel stripped off her sundress, revealing her purple bikini.

"Damn, girl! You're hot!" Charlotte called out from the pool.

This caused all the boys nearby to turn and look at Ariel. She smiled at them, before slowly lowering herself into the pool. Ariel was used to always having the attention of boys and she actually loved it. She knew part of the reason she was popular with boys was that she was a cheerleader, but the main reason they were interested in her is that she's a virgin and they all saw her as a challenge. She had dated quite a few guys since freshman year, but was saving herself for the one special boy and every boy thought they could be that one boy. None of them were even close.

Except Sinbad.

Of course, Sinbad had the bad boy reputation and she knew part of him only cared about sex, but she also knew that there was more to him than he let on. She saw a glimpse under his selfish, egotistical act and that was the Sinbad she wanted to be with. That was the man she wanted to lose her virginity to.

"Ex boyfriend, three o'clock," Rapunzel whispered. "He's looking right at you."

Without looking at Sinbad, Ariel pulled herself out of the water and angled her body towards Sinbad as she picked up a towel; making sure he got a good look at her. She rung out her hair with her towel, then glanced back at Rapunzel who confirmed that Sinbad was still looking at her. She stretched out on a chair, showing off her fit body, then stole a glance at Sinbad out of the corner of her eye. Not only was he no longer looking at her, but he was now talking to his ex girlfriend, Marina. Ariel rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration.

_Son of a bitch!_

**Author's Note: Originally I wasn't going to include Ariel's story as a main story, but I decided I actually wanted to.**

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading this. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Anastasia stared approvingly at her reflection. She was determined to make tonight the start of her new status, so she had given herself a makeover. She went to the salon earlier that day to add highlights to her red hair and also got a French manicure. She bought a whole new wardrobe and even started wearing makeup. So, now, instead of sporting her usual modest look of loose fitting clothes and a ponytail, she was wearing a black mini skirt and a tight, black, off the shoulder top with strappy black heels. Her hair hung loosely over her shoulders and she had just enough makeup on to enhance her appearance without going over the top. She almost looked like a completely different person.

_Let's see you ignore me now, Dimitri, _she thought.

She heard the doorbell rang, and she hurried downstairs to greet Thomas. When she opened the door, he just stared at her.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"You look...great."

Anastasia smiled at him. "Thank you! Dimitri's _got _to notice me now."

"He's blind if he doesn't," Thomas told her as they walked to the car.

When they arrived at the party, they had to park a block away. Anastasia could hardly contain her excitement as they walked up the street, towards Gaston's house. There weren't very many people out in the front yard, but they all turned to look at Anastasia when she walked past them. Inside the house was more crowded than she had been expecting and she knew some of the lower classmen had to have crashed the party. She looked anxiously around for Dimitri, but didn't see him.

"Hi there."

Anastasia stopped looking around and noticed Sinbad approaching her. She smiled at him. "Hi."

"Anastasia, right?" he asked, handing her a drink.

"That's right." Anastasia took a sip of the beer and fought back the urge to gag.

"Wanna dance?"

Anastasia nodded and followed Sinbad into the living room where the music was coming from. She set her drink on an end table and decided she would probably abandon it there. Sinbad turned to face her and immediately wrapped his arm around her. They moved awkwardly together at first, but it didn't take long for them to fall into rhythm and soon they were grinding together. Anastasia glanced around them and noticed everyone nearby was watching them dance. Loving the attention, Anastasia started showing off her real dance skills and gave them a show. At the end of the song, she received applause. She laughed and winked at Sinbad who was now just staring at her. She thought about dancing with him again, but she was afraid of rumors starting and she didn't want Dimitri to think she was unavailable.

"Thanks for the dance," Anastasia told Sinbad before walking away.

As she looked for Thomas, a few guys tried hitting on her, but she dismissed them with a smile and kept walking. She suddenly felt a hand grab her and pull her to the side. She was about to snap at whoever it was until she realized it was Thomas.

"I was looking for you," Anastasia told him.

"Who _are_ you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's with this new look and the dancing and flirting with _Sinbad_?"

Anastasia moved closer to Thomas as someone tried to get by behind her. "I'm just trying to break out of my shell and enjoy my last year of high school."

"This isn't you."

Anastasia shook her head. "It's who I've always wanted to be."

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Jasmine originally didn't want to go to the party. Since meeting Korso, he was all she could think of. She didn't see the point in hanging out with teenage boys anymore. But, her mother insisted that she go. Her mom was popular in high school and it was important to her that Jasmine was popular, too. She said that it would look bad if the most popular girl in school didn't show up at a party. Jasmine thought about telling her that she actually wasn't the most popular girl in school, but disappointing her mother was something that she really didn't want to. That would be worse than her mother being angry at her. So, in the end, she just went to the party. She made her small talk with her friends, avoided the boys and then made her way to the deserted hot tub. She was now sitting alone and enjoying the solitude.

Jasmine leaned her head back against the ledge and closed her eyes. As usual, Korso instantly came to mind. She couldn't help letting her thoughts wander and she pictured him sitting in the hot tub next to her. She imagined what he would look like without a shirt on and the image made her smile.

"Busted!"

Jasmine's eyes flew open and she looked up to see her friend, Vanessa, lowering herself into the hot tub.

"I'm busted for what?"

Vanessa gave her a sly smile. "I know that smile; you were thinking about a guy."

"No I wasn't."

"You're a liar," Vanessa accused. "Who is it? Tarzan? Hercules?"

Jasmine rolled her eyes. Of course Vanessa would it assume it was one of them. They were two of the star athletes at school, who also happened to be single. "No."

"Are you still hung up on Tulio?"

"Definitely not."

Tulio was a college boy that Jasmine had a fling with over the summer. She met him after she and her girlfriends crashed a frat party at a nearby university. He broke up with her, though, when he found out she was only in high school. She wasn't fazed by the break up, however. She had honestly thought he was boring and planned on breaking up with him at the end of the summer, anyway.

"It better not be Gaston or I swear to God I will break your nose."

Jasmine couldn't help laughing. Vanessa and Gaston started dating the summer before freshman year and had been together ever since then. They were _the _it couple of Montressor High School.

"It's not Gaston."

Vanessa studied Jasmine for a second to make sure she wasn't lying. "Then who is it?"

Jasmine nibbled her lip and looked down. "I don't want to say."

Vanessa made a face. "Oh, God! It's not some loser like Milo Thatch or Ichabod Crane, is it?"

"No way. I would never stoop that low," Jasmine replied. "He's actually older than us."

This really peaked Vanessa's curiosity. "Did you meet him at the party?"

"No."

Vanessa waited for more, but Jasmine didn't say anything else. "Oh, come on, Jasmine! You _have _to tell me."

"Fine." Jasmine smiled nervously and ran her hand through her hair. "It's Mr. Korso."

Vanessa thought for a moment. "He _is _hot for an older man. Is there something going on between you two?"

"No. Not yet. Not 'till I'm of legal age."

"So, I take it, as soon as you turn eighteen you're going to make your move?"

Jasmine leaned back again. "Yup."

Vanessa smiled. "Look at you turnin' into a little bad girl. I'm so proud of you."

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Meg sat alone at the bonfire late that night as Gaston's party started to die down. She ended up having a good time hanging out with Jim and Cale at the party. But, they had long since ditched her to get drunk. Meg was now ready to go home, but since she didn't drink she was assigned as the designated driver and couldn't leave until Jim and Cale were ready to go; possibly Sinbad as well, if he didn't leave with some girl.

"Hey, Megara!" Cale greeted loudly. He plopped down next to her, but lost his balance and fell over, spilling some his beer on himself and causing some to slash on her as well.

"Drunken idiot," Meg muttered, wiping her arm on Cale's shirt.

Cale downed the rest of his beer, then tossed the cup to the side. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I think I'm drunk."

Before Meg could respond, Cale turned away from her and threw up in the grass. She made a face at him. When he was done, he turned back to face Meg. She immediately noticed that he now had vomit on the front of his shirt.

"Jesus, Cale..."

Cale followed her gaze and made a face when he, too, saw he had thrown up on himself. He quickly took off his shirt, used it to wipe his mouth, then balled it up in his hand. Meg couldn't help staring at Cale's now bare torso. She knew he had a muscular body since he always wore tight shirts, but this was the first time she had actually seen him without a shirt on.

"Maybe you should take me home," Cale said.

"We have to wait for Sinbad and Jim."

Cale shook his head. "They both have other rides."

"Really? Even Jim?"

Cale nodded. "He didn't tell me who was taking him home, though."

"All right. Let's get goin' then."

Cale dug his keys out of his pocket and dropped them in Meg's hand. He stumbled a little bit on the way to the car, but he didn't throw up again. They rode with windows rolled down since Cale wreaked of vomit and alcohol. When they finally got to Cale's house, she had to help him inside and up to his room. He kicked off his Converses and collapsed on his bed.

"Thanks, Meg," he muttered, sleepily.

"No problem. I'll see you on Monday."

Cale passed out within just a few seconds. Meg set his keys on his nightstand, then headed down to his driveway where she had parked her car for the night. She never used her own car to drive her friends home to avoid having any of them throw up in it. When she got home, she was hoping her mom would be asleep so she didn't have to deal with her. As Meg walked up the front porch steps, her mom swung open the door and stood in the doorway.

"_There _you are!" her mother said. "I've been trying to get a hold of you all day."

Meg knew that. She had been ignoring her calls all day. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes. I've noticed some of my money has gone missing this week. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"I needed lunch money." Meg tried pushing past her mom, but she grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back outside.

"You smell like beer; have you been drinking, young lady?" her mom demanded.

Meg pulled away from her. "Of course not. I'm not dad."

Her mom started to say something, but her phone started ringing. Meg put her hand her hip and raised an eyebrow expectantly at her mom. Her mom pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at the caller i.d.

"You're not coming in this house tonight; find somewhere else to sleep. I'll deal with you tomorrow."

Meg let out a frustrated groan when her mom slammed the front door in her face and stormed back to her car. It wasn't a long drive to Jim's house and she was grateful for that. This wasn't the first time her mom had gotten mad at her and kicked her out of the house for the night. It had actually happened more times than she could count. The first time it happened, Jim was more than willing to let her stay the night at his house. As it became more of a frequent thing, he just started leaving the window open for her, or leaving it unlocked during the winter.

Meg turned off her headlights as she pulled into the driveway. She slipped out of her car, quietly closed the door behind her, then snuck around the side of the house to Jim's bedroom window. It was wide open and she pulled herself through it.

"Jim?" she whispered, creeping over to his bed.

Jim stirred slightly. "Meg?"

"Yeah."

Jim moved over and Meg slid into the bed next to him. "Thanks, Jim. I'll be gone before you wake up in the morning."

"I know."


	5. Chapter 5

"James Pleiades Hawkins!"

Meg vaguely heard an angry woman's voice breaking into her dream. She was still in a sleep-like state and forgot where she was so she assumed it was her mother yelling at her. She groaned and rolled over, pulling the blanket over her shoulders.

"Meg, wake up!"

A strong hand was now shaking her violently. Meg opened her eyes and narrowed them in annoyance. When she saw Jim leaning over her, she was thrust back into the present. She sat up and finally noticed Jim's mom, Sarah, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Hawkins," Meg said, stumbling out of the bed. "I swear this isn't what it looks like."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Meg; I know all about your trashy reputation. Get out of my son's bedroom!"

Meg was completely taken aback by her accusatory tone. She wanted to defend herself, but she could tell by the way Sarah was looking at her that it would do no good. So, she just put on her shoes and slipped past her, into the hallway.

"Mom, you can't talk to my friends like that," Meg heard Jim say as she walked away.

Meg didn't hear Sarah's response. She hurried out the front door, then got in her car and sped off. The clock on her radio read 6:05am. It was only then that she realized it was still dark outside and it was a little chilly. She turned on the heat, then tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she slowed to a stop at a red light. She really didn't want to go home, yet, but she was still tired and didn't have anywhere else to go. She sighed as she realized she only had one option.

When Meg pulled into her driveway, she noticed the living room light was on. She made her way up the porch steps, then took a deep breath and slipped inside.

"I told you I'm on my way! I'll be there in thirty minutes."

Meg heard her mom's voice coming from the kitchen and she peeked inside. Her mom was dressed in one of her skirt suits and pouring some coffee into her travel mug.

"Yes, Arista, I know it's Sunday and I know it's early," Meg's mom said as she screwed on the lid of her mug. "But we have a deadline."

Meg's mom is the chief editor at the biggest book publishing company in Chicago. Her assistant is a twenty-year-old girl who got her publishing and editing certificate online. Meg's mom wanted someone older who had an actual degree and experience, but her boss hired Arista and there wasn't really anything her mom could do. To say Arista got on her nerves was an understatement. Arista had been hired back in the spring. Meg hadn't met her yet, but she pictured her to be a nerdy brunette who wore black-framed geek glasses and button-up blouses.

"I'll see you soon, Arista."

Meg took a step away from the kitchen doorway as her mom hung up the phone to avoid being seen, but she didn't move fast enough.

"Oh, Meg, you're home." Her mom came out into the hallway. "I have to go into work today. I'm not sure what time I'll be home, but there's some chicken thawing in the sink and-" Her phone rang, interrupting her, and she quickly answered it. "Nancy Menzel." She rolled her eyes and made her way towards the front door. "Send all of my calls to voicemail, Arista. I'm not taking calls today; it's Sunday for God's sake."

With that she slammed the door behind her and Meg was left alone. Meg wondered if her mom was still mad at her or if she had forgotten about their fight from just a couple hours ago. Either way, Meg didn't care. She just went up to her room and went back to sleep.

xxxxxxxxxx

Kayley was procrastinating on her homework and checking her email when her cellphone started ringing. It was lying on the desk next to her and she glanced down at the caller i.d. It was Madellaine. Kayley frowned. She considered ignoring the call, but decided to answer anyway.

"Hello?"

"Proteus asked me out!" Madellaine gushed.

Kayley rolled her eyes. "Cool."

"We're going to the movies next Friday night."

"Great."

Madellaine clearly didn't catch Kayley's lack of enthusiasm, because she continued going on about how excited she was for her date. Kayley really didn't care. At least, she didn't want to care about Madellaine's date with Mr. Popular. But, Kayley couldn't help feeling jealous. Part of her wished she would be asked out on a date. Kayley was seventeen-years-old and had never been on a date. She knew there was more to life than boys, but she still wanted to feel like someone liked her.

"Kayley? Are you there? Hello!"

"I'm here," Kayley finally said.

"Did you hear me?"

"No. Sorry."

"Will you come over to my house after school on Friday and help me get ready for my date?"

"I don't know, Madellaine-"

"Oh, please, Kayley?"

Kayley sighed in defeat. "Fine."

Madellaine squealed in excitement. "Thank you so much!" Kayley heard a voice start talking to Madellaine in the background. Madellaine said something back to them, then to Kayley she said, "I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

Before Kayley could say anything else, Madellaine hung up. Kayley flipped her phone shut, then leaned back in her chair. _I thought you weren't going to be friends with her anymore, _she told herself. Truthfully, Kayley wasn't really sure that she wanted to be Madellaine's friend after what happened last night. But Kayley didn't really have any other friends and even having a friend she didn't like was better than not having friends at all.

Kayley sighed. _I'm pathetic, _she thought. _Am I really that desperate? Yes. God, I hate my life. I can't wait for high school to be over._

Kayley turned back to her computer. She wanted to be happy that Madellaine had a date with the guy she liked, but what would happen if she started going out with Proteus? Would she become popular and then leave Kayley in the dust. _Most likely._

* * *

**Note: Meg's mom is Nancy from ****_Enchanted_****. I used the last name of the actress who plays her since Nancy's actual last name is Tremaine, which is Cinderella's step mom's last name.**


End file.
